Redd hunting You may recall that several weeks ago, back when it was still late fall, I mentioned that it was the time of year when you and your students could go out to a trout stream and look for "redds," that is trout spawning beds. Well, Janni Jacob's class of 5th and 6th graders at Braintree Elementary School did just that, and I was pleased to receive a report from Rudi Ruddell, of White River Partnership, about the expedition. Here's what Rudi wrote. Janni Jacobs' intrepid crew did, in fact, enjoy a 'redd hunt' on a sunny and relatively warm day on November 21 (relatively warm, considering early snows had already arrived and there had been some previous hard freezes). Though we saw some relatively clean patches of gravel, it was pretty hard to know if we were actually seeing redds, and there had been some recent high flows ahead of our outing. Fisheries Biologist Bret Ladago from VT Fish & Wildlife noted, "Finding redds in smaller more mountainous streams can be challenging as the gravel tends to have less silt and therefore redds are less obvious. You would also be primarily looking for brook trout redds which are much smaller than the brown trout redds found in the Deerfield. Water temperatures are cold during spawning and students may encounter a small patch of clean gravel if they are lucky, but trout are rarely observed on the redd. Timing is also challenging and can be difficult to predict unless folks are closely monitoring weather patterns and flow rates." It was still a fun outing with a great crew, and we got to check out a few macros that were still active; a few pictures attached from grandparent Peter Evans who accompanied. Congratulations, Janni and kids, for getting out there in the interest of science! Here are five pictures that Rudi sent me from the outing. Celebrating eight years of stream restoration work On December 29, the Associated Press carried a story about stream restoration work in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom for the benefit of brook trout. That news report was originally carried in the Caledonian Record, looking like this: Here's the full text of the AP article. LEWIS, Vt. (AP) — The Department of Fish and Wildlife is celebrating eight years of improving trout habitat in northeastern Vermont rivers and streams. Trout thrive in streams that offer places to hide, such as under trees that have fallen into the streams. Fallen trees also create a mix of pools and shallow areas that are used by trout for feeding, reproducing, avoiding high flows and hiding from predators. The Caledonian Record reports that more than 27 miles of brook trout streams have been improved by the placement of large trees in strategic locations. A six-year study in the East Branch Nulhegan River watershed found that on average brook trout abundance tripled in just three years at sites with added trees. “By adding this large woody material to streams, we are helping to reverse the legacy of historic clear cutting and repeated log drives on these streams,” said Vermont fisheries biologist Jud Kratzer. The fallen trees store sediment and organic material, helping to reducing the flow downstream of sediment, nutrients and slow runoff, reducing downstream flooding. The work has been done by a variety of organizations, including Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and Trout Unlimited, on lands owned by Weyerhaeuser and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This is an important comment on some of the characteristics that are critical to good brook trout habitat. As the article mentioned, not only the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department but also volunteer organizations like Trout Unlimited invest a great deal of money, time, and energy each year in improving habitat by adding "woody debris," large boulders, and stream bank trees (to provide "cover"). Here's a five minute video that describes what's called the "chop and drop" approach to improving stream habitat. Of course, Vermont is not the only state concerned about restoring/improving stream habitat. When I searched for "improving trout habitat" on YouTube, I got dozens of hits, including one for Vermont's "chop and drop" program above. Here's an image of the results page. It's a link, so feel free to click on it. Let's get this party started! (And hope for good driving weather) Plans are well underway for the several trips that will be necessary to pick up eggs at the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Fish Hatchery in North Chittenden, Vermont. As far as I'm aware, the first deliveries will be made on 1/7 and will continue through that and the following week. Our deliveries in southwestern Vermont are planned for 1/14, depending on the weather of course. Based on the reports I've received, it sounds like pre-cycling is going well across the state. A day or two before you expect to receive your eggs, you should get your water temperature to somewhere between 43 and 45degrees. Presumably you've been thinking about temperature protocols as they relate to when swim-up will occur at your school. If you still need to get up to speed on temperature and the swim-up process, I've got two resources for you.
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Joe Mark is Lead Facilitator of Vermont's Trout in the Classroom program.In June 2012, I retired after 40 years in higher education, having spent the last 32 years of my career as dean at Castleton. One of the first things I volunteered to do in retirement was to work with a parent-friend to help the Dorset School, where his kids and my Vermont grandkids attend, start a TIC program. Gradually that commitment grew into my current role, which is both demanding and highly rewarding. Archives
December 2019
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